• Home
  • About
  • Campsites
  • Knowledge Base
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
  • Campsites
  • Knowledge Base
  • Blog
  • Contact
home/Knowledge Base/How to Find Boondocking Sites
Popular Search:Solar Panels, Battery Banks, Joshua Tree

What Do the Different Colors Mean on Google Maps?

20675 views 68

Written by Steve Johnson
July 20, 2020

what do google map colors meanThe different colors on Google Maps generally refer to varying types of government jurisdictions, natural features, and civic areas…

  1. Light Gray – Municipal boundaries (cities, towns, villages)
  2. Lighter Gray – School campuses
  3. Dark Gray – Airports
  4. Darker Gray – Military areas
  5. Pink – Hospitals and healthcare centers
  6. Light Pink – Indian reservations
  7. Light Green – Areas of thick vegetation or forest, includes privately owned land
  8. Green – Government-owned parks, forests, grasslands
  9. Light Olive – National Grasslands (often duplicative with Green)
  10. Darker Green – Wilderness, Conservation areas, Wildlife refuges
  11. Blue – Bodies of water
  12. Light Yellow – Shopping and tourist areas

 

What Do the Different Colors Mean on Google Maps?

Google Maps does not provide a color key or map legend. However, they have published some insight on what their colors mean. Refer to, “Discover the Action Around You with Updated Google Maps“, and “Google Maps Gets New Look“.

Other countries may have additional sets of colors. This is due to those countries having different sets of jurisdictions than compared to the United States or Canada.

Otherwise, here is a breakdown of what each Google Map color represents (for North America only) …

google map color grayLight Gray – Boundaries of cities, towns, and villages. In the case of large cities, this often represents the boundaries of all adjoining cities.
google map colors light grayLighter Gray – (Just a tad bit lighter) School campuses, including colleges. Does not normally include private, vocational schools (University of Phoenix, et al).
google map colors dark grayDark Gray – Airports
google map colors darker grayDarker Gray – Military areas
google map colors pinkPink – Hospitals and healthcare areas
google map colors light pinkLight Pink – Indian Reservations
google map colors light greenLight Green – Areas of thick vegetation. Not normally State or Federally owned lands. Usually private property or county-owned lands. In more populated areas, these are often green belts.
google map colors greenGreen – National Forests, National Parks, State Forests, State Parks, Municipal Parks, golf courses, cemeteries. National Grasslands are often represented in this color, but are also represented in Light Olive (see below). In the case of National Forests and National Parks, these green shaded areas represent the forest’s or park’s larger sphere of influence, and not the actual boundaries. See, “Why is There Private Property Inside National Forests and Parks?” for more detailed explanation.
google map colors light oliveLight Olive – National Grasslands. Note that Google Maps also represents other National Grasslands in Green. There is no logic to this, it’s just an inconsistency on their part. Note, as with National Parks and National Forests, these boundaries represent the Grassland’s larger sphere of influence, and not the actual boundaries. See, “Why is There Private Property Inside National Forests and Parks?” for more detailed explanation.
google map colors dark greenDark Green – Preservation areas, Protected areas Wilderness areas, National Refuges, or other areas intended for limited human access, or scientific study
google map colors blueBlue – Bodies of water, lakes, rivers, ocean
google map colors yellowYellow – Shopping centers, tourist areas
Tags:Maps

Was this helpful?

68 Yes  44 No
Related Articles
  • How to Find Free BLM Camping with Google Maps
  • Can You Camp Anywhere in Anza Borrego Desert State Park?
  • What Stores Allow Overnight Parking?
  • Free Camping at Joshua Tree National Park
  • Where Can I Camp on BLM Land?
  • Where Can I Find Secluded Camping Spots?
6 thoughts on “What Do the Different Colors Mean on Google Maps?”
  • Gretchen says:
    Reply

    Look at Kansas, it is half green and half off white. East Kansas is mostly flat with lots of wheat and cornfields, very little trees definitely not think vegetation but that area is green on the map, and on the west side has the flint hills, rolling meadows of green but that half is off white. Nobody has been able to explain this. Maybe you can?

    October 30, 2020 at 5:28 pm
    • Steve Johnson says:
      Reply

      The green typically refers to more dense vegetation, like forests, thick scrub, et al. The lighter colors (yellow and white) refer to farm fields, desert, or areas with light vegetation.

      November 10, 2020 at 12:59 pm
  • Glenn says:
    Reply

    This is only a partial answer. What about the other colors? Tan, beige, etc.

    November 4, 2020 at 11:24 am
  • Charlie Vogt says:
    Reply

    In KS, beige is shortgrass prairie and green is tallgrass prairie.

    November 14, 2020 at 3:57 am
  • Ann says:
    Reply

    No mention of the DARK BLUE on the shorelines that I am looking for. Are they marine parks, private areas or what?? why make a point of them if you don’t add them to the key??

    November 26, 2020 at 11:24 am
  • Stefan says:
    Reply

    Check out the white for ‘China Clay’ near Wotter, Plymouth, UK.

    November 28, 2020 at 4:17 am
Leave A Comment Cancel reply

How to Find Boondocking Sites
  • What Do the Different Colors Mean on Google Maps?
  • How to Find Free BLM Camping with Google Maps
  • Can You Camp Anywhere in Anza Borrego Desert State Park?
  • What Stores Allow Overnight Parking?
  • Free Camping at Joshua Tree National Park
  • Where Can I Camp on BLM Land?
View All 30  
Popular Articles
  • Can I Dump my Gray Water on the Ground?
  • Can I Run My RV Air Conditioner on Battery Power?
  • What is the Best RV for Boondocking?
  • What Do the Different Colors Mean on Google Maps?
  • Where Can I Park Overnight?
KB Categories
  • Getting Started With Boondocking
  • Costs
  • How to Find Boondocking Sites
  • Outfitting Your RV
  • Boondocking Safety
  • Boondocking Myths
  • Boondocking in National Forests
  • Boondocking in National Parks
  • Boondocking Etiquette
  • Boondocking Rules
  • Boondocking on BLM Land
  • Boondocking on National Wildlife Refuges
  • Boondocking on Bureau of Reclamation Lands
  • Boondocking and Off-Road Vehicles
  • Boondocking Water and Sewage
  • Overnight Parking
  • Boondocking Electrical
  • Boondocking Tips
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Idaho Department of Transportation
Join Our Community
  • FAQ
  • Forums
  • KnowledgeBase
  • Documentation
Useful Help Links
  • Community Home
  • Item support
  • Refunds
  • Market API
Frequent Visit Links
  • Licenses
  • Terms
  • Refunds
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • © 2019-2020 Too Much Tina. All Rights Reserved.

Popular Search:Solar Panels, Battery Banks, Joshua Tree